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[From Trans. N. Y. State Ag'l Society, 1853, Vol. 13th.] 



SUPPLEMENT 



TO THE 



Kcport on i\)t Btttucg 



OF 



ESSEX COUNTY! 



BY 



A 



WINSLOW C. WATSON. 




r07 



^ 



ERRATA. 

The following are among the errata noticed in the report on the 
survey of Essex county ^ published in the Transactions of the year 
1852. 

On the 19th line from the bottom, page 683, read "are" for "is forgotten." 
17th line from the top, page 683, read "was " for "were matured." 
6th " " 721, read " encircles " for " encircle." 

6th ** " 755, read "seem" for "seems." 

19th " " 736, read "prevent" for "prevents." 

9tli « " 740, read " have " for " has." 

6th • « " 803, read "spreads "for "spread." 

7th " " 843, read "manure" for "manner." 

18th « " 858, read "are "for "is." 

5th " " 860, read "north "for "west." 

In the note on page 871, the individual referred to is Mr. " Breed ;" the name is printed 
" Bean." 

In the note on page 718, the name of the island, upon which is situated the seat of Col. Ire- 
land, is printed "Isla bella;" it should read "Isola bella." 



THE WILDERNESS OF NORTHERN NEW-YORK. 



The limited number of pages whicli were appropriated to the 
report on the survey of Essex county, in the last volume of the 
Transactions, compelled me to compress my whole matter into a 
space so brief, in proportion to the material I had collected, that 
I fear I did not intelligently describe the numerous subjects of my 
investigation. 

The physical features of Essex county are so beautiful and di- 
versified, and its resources and capacities so varied and immense, 
that they should be minutely described, to be adequately appre- 
ciated. 

I was obliged, in that report, to suppress much that I was anx- 
ious to introduce, and am now enabled, by the courtesy of the 
executive committee, to supply, in part, these omissions j but 
many other subjects, which I should properly notice, are so 
blended with what has been already published, that I cannot recur 
to them without an inappropriate repetition of much of the pre^ 
ceding report. 

I regret that the letter of the act has been so construed, as to 
prohibit the publication of the map referred to on page 829 of 
the report. It had been prepared with much care, and was in- 
tended to delineate the remarkable combination of lakes and 
rivers, which spreads over the vast plateau of Northern New- York, 
and forming a scenery in the highest degree beautiful and pic- 
turesque, constitutes the elements of commercial intercourse and 
industrial operations, unrivalled in the interior of the State, and 
yet little appreciated. 



6 

These lakes amount in number to some hundreds, and range in 
size from those covering a few acres, to the dimensions of thirtj- 
five miles in length. They are arranged in different systems. 
Those forming the head waters of the same stream being grouped 
together, and all, as I have attempted to explain, susceptible of 
being united, by artificial means, into one vast and most impor- 
tant inland navigation. The map alluded to, was intended to 
illustrate this fact. t 

This region, until within a recent period, had attracted no pub- 
lic attention. The mind can scarcely comprehend the fact, that 
a territory equal in size to the superficial area of several of the 
separate States of the Union, lies in the bosom of New- York, 
touching on one extremity the long occupied and densely popula- 
ted valley of the Mohawk, and encircled by a highly cultivated 
and matured country, is still shrouded by its primeval forest, 
and remains as it came from the hands of its Creator. This ter- 
ritory embraces nearly all Hamilton county, and parts of Her- 
kimer, Oneida, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Essex, and War- 
ren, and extends over one hundred miles in length, and about 
eighty miles in breadth. I desire to call the consideration of the 
public to this region, not merely because its revelation is inti- 
mately connected with the future prosperity and progress of Essex 
county, but that its development and occupation is of the highest 
importance to the industrial and financial interests of the State. 

Nature reigns in this Avilderness, in her primeval seclusion and 
solitudes. The daring hunter penetrates its mazes in pursuit of 
its only denizens, the moose, the bear, the panther and deer. The 
fisherman, whose ardor leads him to the deep recesses of the 
forest, breaks the quiet repose of these lakes and rivers, but 
within the boundaries of this sequestered region, man has scarcely 
an abode, in his civilization and improvements. A portion of 
this territory is mountainous and impracticable to culture. Here 
the loftiest group of mountains east of the Mississippi, lift their 
pinnacles to the skies. The sheer and lofty precipice, the dashing 
torrent, the sylvan lake and the boundless ocean of forest, com- 
bine to form a scenery, which is unrivalled in its magnificence 
and beauty. The votaries and admirers of nature will soon 



learn to visit these scenes, and will gaze on them with wonder 
and delight. 

The existence of this range of mountains, imposing and mag- 
nificent as it is, enveloping in its gigantic folds, the rich and 
beautiful region beyond, and to the approach of which it seemed 
to impose an impenetrable bar, has given rise, to the opinions and 
estimates of that entire territory, which prevail. Eminent men, 
in supreme ignorance of the character of this district, have 
sneered at it, as the " Siberia" of New- York, little aware, of the 
.llimitable wealth, which must be revealed, not only in its im- 
mense forests, of the most valuable wood and timber, and its 
boundless mineral riches, but in the adaptation of large sections 
of it, to agricultural purposes. Other men, impelled by their ex- 
ample, have habitually indulged in sarcasm and ridicule, upon the 
character and resources of northern New-York. These and simi- 
lar views, have created impressions relative to the soil, the capa- 
bilities and climate of this territory, which have arrested emigra- 
tion, and induced the board of Land Commissioners of the State, 
in an unwise and mistaken policy, to sacrifice by inadequate sales 
a large proportion of the public domain, which had been conse- 
crated by our fathers, to a noble and glorious purpose — the educa- 
tion of our children. 

I am anxious to correct those opinions, where I regard them to 
be false, and to briefly, but with more particularity than the space 
allowed to my former report permitted, to describe the physical 
features, the topographical arrangement, the agricultural and in- 
dustrial capacity of this wilderness district. It is known, that a 
part of this tract is situated within the limits of Essex county, and 
that it embraces the loftiest mountains of the Adirondacs. This 
range, stretching into Hamilton and the southern section of Frank- 
lin counties, partially bounds the table land on the south. 

Some incidents connected with my personal exploration of Essex 
county, will afford the readiest illustration of the vastuess and 
utter seclusion of the wilderness, which is spread around these 
mountains. In my visit to that stupendous phenomenon in the 



8 

works of nature, " the Indian Pass," the contemplation of which 
is worthy of a pilgrimage from Europe, I was guided by a highly 
intelligent gentleman, who had the charge of the affairs of the Adi- 
rondac company. On leaving the Alpine hamlet of Adirondac, 
we immediately entered the forest, pursuing a beaten path, which 
rapidly became less distinct. As we continued constantly but gra- 
dually to ascend, and penetrate deeper into the woodland, along a 
gorge of the mountain, the path became more obscure, and at 
length, an occasional blazed tree was the only index of our course. 
We toiled slowly and laboriously along the steep and rugged 
acclivity of Mt. McMartin, or clambered over the broken and 
chaotic masses of rocks, which had been hurled from the impend- 
ing cliffs into the deep ravine, by the convulsions of nature or the 
slower, but equally effective influence of the elements. 

When we reached the center of the pass, and dined beneath its 
lofty walls from the knapsack of my friend, and drank from a 
tiny springjOneof the most remote fountains of the majestic Hud- 
son, we had penetrated an unbroken forest between seven and 
eight miles from the village, and the same distance on the north, 
separated us from the settlements of North Elba. On the east 
Mt. McMartin, the massive form of Mt. Mclntyre and Mt. Marcy, 
with a dense wood of about twenty miles, intervened between us 
and the first cultivated district, while on the south-west and west 
the pathless wilderness extended almost to the Mohawk and Black 
river vallies. Much of this vast tract, is occupied by an abrupt, 
distorted and impenetrable series of mountains and rocks. Amid 
these wilds the group of mount Seward bounds the table land on 
the south. 

Towards the close of autumn, I entered the forest with a 
guide, from the side of Wilmington, to visit the great Falls of 
the Au Sable, where that river bursting through the " Wilming- 
ton notch" leaps into the valley, by a precipitous descent of one 
hundred feet. , After examining this solemn and impressive scene, 
which is situated at the base of the Whiteface mountain, and in a 
secluded and gloomy gorge, between it and a spur of the Keene 
mountains, ray guide undertook to conduct me, along the slopes 
of the latter, to a reputed pond of native Copperas water. 



9! 

Supposing it to be near an eminence, which was several hun- 
dred feet in height above us, we attempted to make the ascent 
by a ciicuitous route. We had started upon our excursion soon 
after daylight. A damp snow had fallen the preceding night, 
which still rested upon the trees, while a thick mist shroud- 
ed the mountains. After having toiled for some time amid 
the intricacies of the rocks and woods, my guide became per- 
fectly confused and lost, and we wandered for several hours 
ascending and descending mountains, often clambering up their 
precipitous sides upon our hands and knees, now wading morasses 
and fording streams, our clothes saturated with water from the 
snow, which would fall from the trees upon us, in miniature ava- 
lanches. 

At length, as night approached my guide avowed his total 
confusion and inability to direct our route. From the fact, that 
we had not crossed our track, which was distinctly marked in 
the soft snow, it was evident our course had been progressive. 
We were Avithout food, or materials to start a fire, and the only 
evidence of animated life, we had seen during the day, were the 
foot prints of the numerous deer, we had aroused from their soli- 
tary lairs. I was compelled at last to assume the direction of 
our progress. Knowing that our designed course was from the 
Au Sable, I decided to follow up a stream, which I conjectured 
must flow towards the river. Steadily pursuing this purpose, we 
ultimately reached a pond, which my guide recognized. Taking 
a new departure, and after a laborious and protracted march over 
mountains, through swamps and tangled underwood, we emerged 
from the forest just at the close of the day. 

I record this adventure, as best illustrating the utter seclusion 
and wildness of this territory. The scene of this incident, is 
scarcely eighty miles, north and upon the same meridian with the 
gay and animated halls of Saratoga, and not more than twenty 
miles from Lake Champlain. 

The tract of Avoodland, where this exposure occurred, extend? 
about five miles, between the settlements in Wilmington and 
North Elba. It stretches ten or fifteen miles to the east, and 



10 

blends with the western wilderness ; there being only an interrup- 
tion of a narrow belt of improvements, along the banks of the 
Saranac. The southern or North Elba side of this district, is 
occupied by a dense forest, of the most valuable wood and timber, 
upon a level surface of rich and arable land. 

The fertile and beautiful plains of North Elba, lie beyond and 
spread over the space, encircled by a lofty amphitheatre of these 
mountains. This district, I have sufficiently described in my re- 
port, and have attempted to show by an analogy with some sec- 
tions of Vermont, of about the same altitude, and which consti- 
tute a part of the most valuable and productive districts of that 
State, the great importance and adaptedness of these plains to 
cultivation. These mountains abound with ores, and are mantled 
to their summits, by forests of the heaviest timber and choicest 
varieties of wood. Such is the present condition and aspect of 
this territor}^, in the county of Essex, and these are some of their 
natural resources. Beyond the confines of this county, it reveals 
another appearance. The broken and rocky range of mountains 
subsides into a high plateau, with a fertile soil, adapted by its 
ingredients and formation to tillage and more particularly to 
grazing. 

The plains of North Elba extend to, and unite wuth this terri- 
tory, forming an expansion of the plateau, in the bosom of the 
mountains over an area of about one hunilred square miles. 

The systems of lakes, which extend over this territory and 
yield to it so much beauty and animation, and almost mingle 
their waters, form the sources of the Hudson, of many affluents 
of the Mohawk and the Black river. Here also, are the fountain 
heads of the Oswegatchie, the Grass, the Raquette and St. Regis 
rivers, large and important streams, which discharge into the St, 
Lawrence, and the Saranac, which flows into Lake Ciiamplain. 

The project of forming, in tlie connection of these streams and 
lalies by slight artificial constructions, an inland water communi- 
cation, designed to open to enterprize and emigration the solitudes 
of this wilderness, I have already demonstrated to be practicable 
and of the highest importance. 



11: 

The Black River canal, skirts this territory on the west. The 
existing and proposed railroads trom Utica and Rome, in a nor- 
thern directioi , traverse its western borders. The Saratoga and 
Sackets Harbor railroad, now in progress, and wliich has been 
fostered by a magnificent bounty of five hundred thousand acres 
from the State lands, wull, it is estimated, penetrate for a distance 
of one hundred and twenty miles through the heart of an unbro- 
ken wilderness. It will thread the mazes of this sequestered 
tract, along the base of lofty mountains, (towering above it thou- 
sands of feet,) through dense forests and amid the loveliest lakes 
and rivers. The route of this road traverses tlie south-western 
section of E,-sex county, through the rich and important town of 
Minerva, and approaches within a few miles of the Adirondac 
works, and will thus render accessible the boundless wealth 
of that amazing district. 

Another railway is in contemplation, from the Champlain and 
Ogden^burgh road, to connect with one of these southern routes. 
This project, when accomplished, will open the most secludeel 
and inapproachable sections of this territory. 

The most effective and decisive work, however, for the de- 
velopment of tlie entire region, would be created by the comple- 
tion ot the plan, which many years since, was defeated Ijy the 
extraordinary reconnoissance referred to in my fornu^r report, but 
which I confidently believe will still be accomplished. 

That plan, proposed a railroad, which, passing up the valley of 
the Au Sable river, should penetrate the barrier of mountains at 
the Wilmington n(jtch ; thence traversing the wide expanse of 
table land, would bisect the wilderness, connect with the ex- 
panded water communication just described, and reach the St. 
Lawrt-nce at some fiivorable point, by pursuing the line of 
one of its tributaries. Lateral avenues, formed by roads, plank 
roads and railways, and the improvement of the navigation, would 
rentier the whole of this rude and unoccupied territory available 
to all the purposes of industry and agriculture. The impediments 
in a part of this route, which have been strangely pronounced im- 



12 

practicable, I have the deepest conviction, both from personal 
inspection and. careful inquiry, may readily be surmounted. 

The Au Sable river plank road, which has been in operation 
several years, enters the eastern borders of the forest, and has 
already created an immense business, and extracted from these 
fields a vast amount of property. In the vicinity of works which 
have been established by the effects of this road, flourishing and 
most productive farms exist, where nature but recently reigned 
in perfect silence and solitude. 

On every side, the slow but constant progress of improvement 
and cultivation is invading the wilderness. The pioneer of agri- 
culture, is each year occupying the haunts of the hunter, and 
gradually supplanting him. The valuable town of Greig, in 
Lewis county, now embracing a population of about fifteen hun- 
dred inhabitants, has within a few years, been carved from the 
silent forest. 

When these various avenues have been constructed into this 
region, the door to eastern emigration will be opened. The ques- 
tion presented to the emigrant's consideration is, what are the 
attractions which this long neglected and contemned territory 
present, that should divert him from the exuberant soils of the 
prairie lands? So vast a tract of country, extending from north 
to south more than one hundred miles in length and nearly eighty 
in breadth from east to west, must exhibit a great diversity of 
soil and climate, as well as in its geographical arrangement. This 
extent of territory, affords the emigrant a wide range for selection. 
The following may be enumerated among the inducements which 
are presented to his consideration : 

Northern New- York is near his New England home, and may 
be reached with inconsiderable expense or exposure. He will 
not be subjected to the dangers and sufierings incident to accli- 
mation at the west or south, but will find a soil and climate 
analogous to that from which he has emigrated, and adapted to 
the same mixed husbandry, of tillage and grazing. 

The county of Essex is a counterpart of New England, in its 
physical aspect, and in the moral and social characteristics of its 



13 

people. More, probably, than any other county in this State, the 
elements of its population are essentially derived from that origin, 
and with a less infusion of other blood. The impress of their 
New England spirit is marked and visible, not merely in their 
agriculture and arrangement of farms, but in their general intel- 
ligence, their eminent fostering of schools, and their high-toned 
moral and religious character. 

This wilderness is distinguished for the healthiness of its cli- 
mate. There prevails in the atmosphere, which envelopes these 
mountains, a pureness, an elasticity and vitality that imparts health, 
and affords an indescribable physical enjoyment in the mechani- 
cal process of inspiration ; the lungs are filled, and perform their 
functions without effort or labor. In my explorations of the 
country, I met with repeated instances of individuals, who had 
reached their forest homes, in advanced stages of pulmonary affec- 
tion, in whom the disease had been arrested, and the sufferer re- 
stored to comparative health. They uniformly imputed the 
change to the influence of the atmosphere, and to the soothing 
and invigorating effect of this peculiar property. No invalid en- 
ters these solitudes, without experiencing upon his system, this 
strengthening and renovating influence. The atmosphere can be 
impregnated by no noxious miasmas, but is poured down from 
the summits of these stately mountains, fresh and pure, and life 
giving as it comes from the labaratory of nature. 

Parts of the southern section of this territory, in Warren and 
Hamilton counties, particularly, where the lofty group of Mt. 
Seward upheave and dislocate the surface, are high, broken and 
mountainous. With this exception, and the portions of Essex 
county already described, the altitude of the country is lower than 
the plains of North Elba, but it still has an elevation which sen- 
sibly affects the climate ; far less, however, than has been impu- 
ted by an erroneous public opinion. That this severity is not 
extreme, or such as to repel occupations, may be judged from the 
fact, that for many years, while the visitors to this region were 
limited, the hunters and guides were accustomed to procure their 
supplv of potatoes from the spontaneous growth of the \ egetable. 



14 

gathered in the earth, and which had sprung from the peelings 
left upon the surface the preceding year. 

Like every new country, in northern latitudes, which is shroud- 
ed by a thick and heavy vegetation, this tract is now far more 
liable to the effects of cold and frost, than it will be, when the 
advance of improvement has removed the massive forests, and 
exposed the earth to the influence of heat and light. 

The face of this country is represented by those who have thor- 
oughly explored it, to be formed of a series of plains, or high 
valleys, distinct in their arrangement, and slightly elevated one 
above the other. 

The streams, particularly those which are affluents of the St. 
Lawrence, flow in a strong, but neither rapid nor violent current, 
generally between high banks, and through a level and beautiful 
country. The land bordering upon these streams, is chiefly oc- 
cupied by dense and stately forests, comprehending the most 
magnificent and valuable evergreen timber, and the choicest va- 
rieties of hard wood. 

These forests are not unfrequently interspersed with wide and 
beautiful wet prairies, or natural meadows, spreading far back and 
along the margin of the rivers, and presenting in their luxuriant 
herbage or native grasses, the appearance of highly cultivated 
fields. Myriads of deer graze and fatten upon these meadows. 

These lands, whether sustaining their towering growth of 
primitive wood, or exhibiting the natural meadows, are repre- 
sented as possessing native fertility and adaptation to agriculture, 
seldom surpassed by any districts of equal altitude, and in as 
high parallel of latitude. Such I know, from personal inspection, 
to be the character of the lands in North Elba. Specimens of 
soils, from the alluvial flats, upon the Au Sable river, and the 
loam from the uplands in tliat town, which were analyzed by 
Professor Salisbury, indicate the highest degree of native fertility. 
In some sections of this territory, a white silecious earth predomi- 
nates, which is evidence of a light and rather sterile soil ; other 
parts of it are, doubtless, rocky and broken ; but a large portion 



15 

of the land, is susceptible of useful cultivation, and much more 
will be found congenial to grass and grazing. 

The general face of this region, may be inferred from the circum- 
stance, that tourists speak in their description of it, of seeing, 
while floating upon tlie remote lakes and rivers, the summits of 
the Adirondacs, towering above the surrounding plateau, at a dis- 
tance of thirty, and even fifty miles. 

The nearness and facility of access to various markets, which 
must soon exist, is an additional, most important and obvious 
advantage, which this country will at anearly day possess. When 
the different public improvements, we have glanced at, are accom- 
plished, (and that result is. morally certain,) every section of this 
region will enjoy an easy access to the Mohawk, to the marts of 
the St. Lawrence and to Champlain. 

But the emigrant to this territory, need not place any reliance 
upon remoter markets, while a thousand forge fires illuminate 
the recesses of the Adirondacs, the banks of the Saranac, and the 
valley of the Au Sable, and the innumerable other manufactories 
exist, which are springing into importance, along the whole con- 
fines of this wilderness. 

These immense and increasing consumers, will always secure a 
certain and prompt demand, at the highest prices, for every animal 
that can be raised upon these hills, and every production of agri- 
culture that the earth can yield. Already, as the pioneer reaches 
the outline of the wilderness, we see, the manufacturer and the 
lumberer press on his track, requiring the coal he produces in 
clearing his land, the timber he falls and every article of con- 
sumption he produces, at prices often exceeding those of the 
Atlantic cities. This domestic market will never be exhausted, 
but must constantly augment. 

Large appropriations have been applied by the State, to the 
improvement of the navigation of several of the streams, which 
flow from this region, to facilitate the transportation of logs. 
Many of them are now navigable for this purpose, from the lakes 
where they rise, to their mouths. The incalculable amount, of 



16 

saw logs, embraced in the wilderness, may by these channels be 
transported at an insignificant expense, in their direct course to 
market, to points where they are fabricated into lumber, for ex- 
portation. 

This wise policy of public munificence, is calling into practical 
existence and utility an immense aggregate of property, which has 
been hitherto inaccessible and valueless. While it will administer 
to the efi'arts of private enterprize, and supply new fountains of in- 
dividual wealth, it will return to the treasury of the State, ten fold, 
the expenditures, by opening the vast public domain to market 
and by the immense accession to the business of the public works it 
must create- All the products of this/orest will become, in their 
transportation to market, tributary to the canals. Hence, it is 
manifest, that the labor of the settler, which removes the forest 
and reveals the earth to cultivation, also prepares the coal for 
the manufacturer and the timber for transportation ; and thus, 
while he is remunerated for his toil, he is enabled to pay for his 
farm and adapt it to tillage. In addition to the pine, spruce and 
hemlock timber, which occupies this territory and which may be 
computed by millions of saw logs, it comprehends a vast amount 
of excellent cedar, and several varieties of oak, birch and cherry, 
that attain an immense size, and are in great request by the ma- 
nufacturer, for choice fabrics, and coal wood, that can be estimated 
by tens of millions of cords. 

Iron ore is known to exist here in large deposits, sufiicient, pro- 
bably, for all its requirements ; but if this opinion should prove 
to be incorrect, aside from many other sources of supply, its most 
remote sections will soon, by means of the contemplated works, 
join hands with the exhaustless masses of the Adirondac deposits. 

Experience has established the fact, that the crude ore may, 
with much greater ease and economy, be transported for manu- 
facturing to the deposits of charcoal, than the latter can be re- 
moved to the ore. In view of all these considerations, may we not 
indulge the anticipation that this territory will, at no remote day, 
become a great iron manufacturing district ? 



17 

The mauufacture has recfiitiy boen e?rablish*>i, in the town of 
'North Elba. A market will Uiiis be opened, for tlie sale of all 
this crop, which can be produced in all thi? rci^ion. The ?oi[ and 
climate are peculiarly c<)ngenial and favoraole to the ciiltiire of 
the potato. I regard this event, as eminently aiispicio:is t) the 
fnture progress and iiDprovement of this teiritory. 

I observed, in the course of the survey of Essex €>>uuty, incip- 
ient domestic manufactories of articles formed from deer skins, in 
which the same household either procured their own skins, or 
purchased them of tlie hunter, fresh from the chare ; tanne*i and 
dressed them, and fabricated from the genuine buck skin, mittens, 
gloves, and other commodities, by their own hands. I think this 
-manufacture will, for many years, be capable of great expansion. 

The unrivalled fish, which throng these waters in the utm )St pro- 
fusion, and uow^ atibrd an article of such exquisite I'.ixury, may 
be made an important and valuable commodity of exportation^ 
when the means of a rapid and certain triinsportati^Hi are estab- 
lished. 

The price of land, in this territoiy, ranges from one d;ll.u% to 
six dollars the acre. 

The wisdom of the developineut, by the State of the re.troJir- 
ces of this region, and the promoting of its settlement by every 
liberal and fostering policy, is so apparent and imperativ'r>, that 
its expediency can scarcely be enforced by any argument 

Let avenues be opened into it; let the navigation be perfected, 
and tlie rivers made more available for the tloating of saw logs, 
and it will soon be colonized by sturdy and energetic emigrants, 
and the silent and gloomy wilderness will resound with the din of 
labor and industry. A community may be evoked, by a wise and 
miuiificent policy, in that desert, equal to the population of other 
States ; new counties may be tbrmed ; millions be added to indi- 
vidual wealth, and an incalculable amount be secured to the re- 
sources of the State. These, are some of the advantages and 
"indacements which this region offers to the emigrant from New 



18 



Engii:.rjd . False ana decepijve public senumeni, has shed a blight- 
ing influence over it, and created obstacles to its occupation, more- 
impracticable than its mountain barriers, or all the impediments' 

with which nature has surrounded it. 



Trie opinioD advanced Id my original rej»crt. thai undiscovered 
deposits oi iroD ore existed in Essex coTinty, of equal vaiue and 
magnitude to those already known, which would be developed as 
the exigencies of business demanded, has been already singularly 
c'/orroborated. Discoveries of new veins and masses are constantly 
made, which seem to indicate that the whole primary formatit n 
rests ajion. or is mingled with, masses of iron. 

Ont of the most valuable and remarkable of these deposits, 
whiclj lias been revealed and opened during the current year, is 
owned by Messrs. Whallon k Juddjand situated near the Little- 
Pond bed, within half a mile of the vilhge of Pleasant Valley. 
I visited and examined, with much interest, this important mine 
which promises, from its eligible position and the superior quality 
of the ore, to prove among the most important and productive in 
ttie county. 

The enterprising proprietors are erecting in the vicinity a sep- 
arating machine, of the largest dimensions, possessing a power 
capable ot performing a vast operation. A peculiarity in a part 
of this deposit, and unusual in primitive ores, which will pro- 
bably much enhance its value, is its disintegration in the bed,pro- 
claced by some process of nature ! It is found so perfectly pul- 
verized and reduced, that it may be removed at once from the bed 
by the shovel, and deposited in the forge tires, with no further 
preparation. How extensive or available the ore may prove, 
•which is in this condition, cannot of course be determined, with- 
oat further investigation. 

In Moriah, new mines, or those aband''»ned for years, have been 
©j^ened, and are now worked to great advantage and profit, -whiie 



20 

others of an old and established reputation, enjoy a foreign de- 
mand for their ores, which can scarcely be supplied, by all the 
enerjjy and efforts of the proprietors. The process of separating 
the phosphate of lime- from some of these ores, has been exten- 
sively pursued, with what success I have not been able to ascer- 
tain. 

The fact of the existence of rich and valuable veins of copper 
in the county may be regarded as established ; although the ex- 
pediency of working them, under existing circumstances, seems 
to be questioned. In reference to the mine in Crown Point, an 
intelligent correspondent writes, "our company expended some 
|300 last season, in sinking a shaft upon their copper locality, 
and found more or less ail the way, as far as they descended, but 
no regular lode. Some of the specimens we procured, were very 
rich and beautiful, and I have no doubt, but a rich lode of copper 
■.vuuld be found by sinking deep. The iron business, however, 
pays too well at present to run much risk on copper."* I adduced 
several facts, upon which was founded a conviction of the pre- 
sence of galena, in large quantities, among the mor.ntains which 
lay upon the borders of Chesterfield and Willsboro'. Other cir- 
cu'ustances, which have come to my knowledge since the pubii- 
cati m of the report, tend to confirm the opinion I then expressed, 
and may be deemed worthy of preservation.! Legends, VvhicH 
have been retained in several families, descended from the early- 
settlers of the county, ancestors of which were carried prisoners 
into Canada during the Revolution, combine to corroborate the 
following facts. The Indians, who usually were their conductors, 
were in the habit of uniformly landing near these mountains 
(which are the last northern spurs of the Adirondacs, ar^d here 
fall precipitatel}' into the lake), and while a part remained to 
guard the prisoners, others proceeded into the interior, and after 
an absence of a few hours, returned to the canoes ladened with 
lead ore of the richest quality. These traditions are all harmoni- 
ous as to the incident, the locality, and the time erap!<\yt'd by the 
Indians in prv)curing the lead. 

» Lotter of C. P. [lam.iiond, Esq , pagR 792, Trans. 1352. f Page 787 Trant^. 185i. 



21 

Within a few years, strange Indians have been frenacritjy seen 
prowling in the vicinity of these mountains, with laj'ge quantities 
of crude galena in their possession, which it was incredibiC, from 
its weight and appearance, could have been transported by them 
from any considerable distance. Although always profuse in their 
assurances of disclosing, at some future period, the position ct" 
the vein, the existence of which they freely admit, no allurement 
or reward has been successful in inducing a betrayal of their se- 
cret. These facts may prove of utility in guiding futureVxplcr- 
ations. 

Further investigations have confirmed, to my own mind, the 
substantial accuracy of the circumstances referred to in my report , 
relative to the discovery, many years since, of silver ore, among 
the Adirondac gi'oup, in or near North Elba.* The person who 
professed to have discovered the deposit, was of undoubted re- 
spectability. Little question, I am now^ convinced, exists, as to 
the fact of his having brought ore from the mountains, at the 
time he was lost among them, and of its having been fabricated 
into silver utensils. The circumstances which 1 have collected, 
as narrate(i by this person, are these. He became lost in the ex- 
tensive and intricate forest which envelope these mountains, and 
wandered for a day or two in their mazes, totally bewildered and 
uncertain c»f his position. That while thus confused, he accident- 
ally discovered the material, and was attracted to it, notwith- 
standing his situation, by its remarkable appearance. He broke 
oil' fmm the mass, which was large and compact, and embedded 
in the rock, specimens, that he carried home in his pocket^^, and 
from the ore extracted, spoons of pure silver were made. In the 
confu^on and agitation of his mind, he lost all trace of the locality 
or direction of the deposit, w^hich he was not able afterwaids to 
recover. These facts, from the information J have gathered, ap- 
pear to be well authenticated. 

Within the current year, a very large deposit oi remarkably 
brilliant and pure shale has been discovered in the town of Ches- 
terfield, Specimens of ttiis substance, w^hen subjected to the fire 

• Page 788, Traiw. 1852. 



22 

of a blacksmith's forge, yield a stringy, pliable substancp, and 
others, when exposed to the same fire, freely ignite 

In the southern section of the same town, near the outlet of a 
ieries of ponds, a large and very remarkable deposit of Garnet 
occurs. It spreads over an area of some acres, and crops out in 
large and massive rocks, which from their singular formation, and 
dark red color, are striking and conspicuous features in the land- 
scape. Occasional indications of Colophcnite appear in their frac- 
tures. An extraordinary mass of the latter, exists about two 
miles from this locality, and in a geological line. This, I believe, 
is one of the most beautiful and extensive deposits of Colophonite 
known to exist,. 



FOSSIL REMAINS; 



In noticing the subject of Ibe drift formatioQ of Es^ex county,* 
I enumerated various evidences of an aqueous influence, and the 
former presence of water at elevated points on the surface of the 
earth. Circumstances are constantly developing which tend to 
establish this theory beyond refutation. 

A highly interesting and very conclusive fact, has within a few- 
years been brought to the knowledge of the scientific world, by 
the eminent naturalist, Professor Thompson, of the University of 
Yerraont. It is so intimately connected with the geological his- 
tory and arrangement of Essex county, that a reference to it seems 
pecuharly appropriate to this work. 

The position of the fossil exhumed by Professor Thompson, was 
in the town of Charlotte, in Vermont, and near the eastern shore 
of Lake Champlain. The identity and harmony of the geolo- 
gical formation of this shore of the lake with the opposite and 
corresponding one in Essex county, is striking and worthy of con- 
sideration. 

I called attention in my report to the circumstance, that the 
extreme termination of Willsboro' Point, which is a peninsula, 
projecting far into the lake, toward the Vermont shore, is formed 
of the same slaty rock, filled with fossil remains, that predomina- 
tes on the Vermont side, and that this rock is almost limited, in 
Essex county, to that locality.! 

It appears from the researches of Professor Thompson that the 
remarkable exhibition of porphyry in the town of Essex, | which 
has excited so much the attention of the geologist, is strongly de- 

• Vol. Trana,, 1852, page 706. f Uj. 790. t ib- 78». 



2-1 

velopod in large massos of porp'hyritic rock, in Charlotte, neariy 
opposite t() Essex, in the sn,me geologica] range. The lake attains 
between these points its greatest depth ; the bottoni has not been 
found, as I am infornud, by a line of six Inmdred feet. 

The following is a sunnnary of the facts connected with the 
discovery of the fossil remains, as described by Professor Thomp- 
son, to which I have referred. His work embraces a full and 
very clear description uf tlie remains, their position, the arrange- 
ment cif the bones, and a perfectly satislactory conclusion as to 
the species oi the animal.* He illustrates his account by minute 
figures and diagrams of the fo^^sil in its various parts. 

The discovery of these remains occurred in 1819, while some 
laborers were engaged in extending an excavation for the Rutland 
and Burlington railroad in the town of Charlotte. They struck 
upon a quantity of bones, embedded in the clay, about eight feet 
below ihe natural siuface oi the ground. Parts of what after- 
wards proved to be the head, were broken and injured, before the 
peculiar appearance of the \<>m< attracted the notice of the over- 
seers. 

A portion of them were forwarded to Professor Thompson, who 
ImnKdiately repaired to the place to give tlie subject his personal 
investigation. The labor and research of several days resulted 
in the recovery of a huge proportion of the skeleton, a few de- 
tached parts being only missing. He felt assured from inspe<^ :ion, 
. of the identity of the animal, Avith the whale family. 

He proceeded with the bones and fragments of the fossils to 
Cambridge, and submitted them to the examination of Professor 
;A.gassi/, who confirmed the opinioji of Prof. Thompson, that ihey 
were the remains of an individual of the species described by 
Cuvier as the Beluga Leucas, or sn^all Northern White Whale. 

Bv their united labor and science, they were enabled to arrange 
and collocate the fossil. Having four-fifihs of the entire skeleton, 
from these they were able to determine the size, position, and 
number of the bones which were not recovered. They estimat^^d 
the linim^lto have been fourteen feet in length. 

» App«Ddli U, 71i<>mj««ii''8 Hirtory of YcTtcul, page 20. 



2f) 

The position of these fossils was about sixty i'eet above the 
level of Lake Champiain, and one hundred and fifty higher than 
tide v^-ater. 

The remains of a similar animal were discovered, Prolessor 
Thcinpfon states, near Montreal, in 1847. 

These corroborative I'acts seem to conliim the opinion that an 
arm of the sea once Howed over this valley, which perhaps was 
gjrte-i by the Green Mountains on the east, and the Adirondacs- 
on tiie west; or more probably, the pinnacles of these mountains, 
Tvhich now tower towards the thuds, were at one period islets 
th'it dotted the Surface of a vast ocean which surged above this 
cr;:jMn'int. 



FLBi 



I am ^ratitied in being able to state, that Professor B;i.ird,">f the 
Smithsonian Institution, has been engaged in an incidental, but 
careful and somewhat minute examination of the ichthyology of 
Essex county. I hoped to have received a paper on this sab- 
'ect, rom him, which I intended to incorporate in this article. 
The great zeal and enthusiasm with which he pursues these re- 
searches, and the distinguished ability which characterises -ill his 
efforts, in these interesting fields, will attach much interest and 
value to the results of his investigation, when they are submitted 
to the public. He has already ascertained, I am informed, the 
presence in the waters of the county, of a number of undescribed 
and unknown species and varieties of fish. 

An incident which fell under my observation, may illus- 
trate to other minds, (as it presented new facts to my own,) 
one or two points in Natural History. In one of those ponds, 
I mentioned, as inhabited exclusively by the lower order of 
fish,* we observed a great commotion in the water, a few 
feet from the land. As we approached, a small animal, 
which we supposed to be a muskrat, sw'im from tie spot 
to the shore ; and we found there, on our arrival, a large bull- 
head floundering in the water, and convulsively struggling to es- 
cape. It was bleeding from a fresh wound, where the tail had 
been severed from the body, just behind the dorsal fin 

The fish lay, in a vertical position, its head downwards, and 
with no ability to guide itis own course, or to make any other than 

V->i. 'IViii.s :'5.'>2, pag« 7'W. 



27 



a perpendicular movement. The incident showed the animal to 
be a Ml hunter ami ichthyophagous in his habits ; and that this 
fish is guided and governed in its motion solefy by the action ot 
its tail. 



WILD EEES 



The hr.nting (»f wild bees has been, in parts of Essex county, 
a j»msuit of considerable importance, and as exciting and amu- 
sing, as it often is profitable. It is still conlinued to a limited 
extent. The wild bee, although similar in appearance and habits 
to tlie domestic bee, is undoubtedly a native of the forest, and indi- 
genous to tlie country. It appears to be adverse to the vicinage 
of man, and recedes into the deeper wilderness, as cultivation ap- 
proaches its secluded and hidden haunts. The hives of the wild 
bee are fovuid far in the solitudes of unoccupied tracts, removed 
from the habitations oi men, and occupying the most sequestered 
retreats. It selects, for the location of its hive, an elevated po- 
sition, far up some retired and shady ravine, in the midst of hills 
or mountains, and in the vicinity of a body of water. If the 
country is fiat, the bees establish their domicile upon the margin 
of a lake or stream, in as much seclusion as possible. They appro- 
priate usually, for tliis purpose, the hollow of a tree, generally 
^electing one of great magnitude ; but occasionally they construct 
their Idves in the crevices of rocks. They enter the opening in 
the tree by a small orifice, which very essentially protects them 
from observation and discovery. 

Here they renniin for years, in possession of the same abode, 
models of laborious and untiring industry, accumulating hoards of 
their luscious treasures, and annually casting ol!" new colonies. 
These retreats aie found with difficulty, and by the exercise of 
much skill by tlie Jiuuter, and when found, are often very diffi- 
cult of access. They are exposed, not only to the merciless rava- 
ges oi' maUj but insects and annuals, panicularly the bear, corn- 
mil great depredations ij})('ii ihem. 



29 

The professional bee hunter, when engaged ia this pursuit, 
provides himself with a quantity of honey comb, strained honey, 
and a small light box, about six or eight inches long, and four 
inches deep and four wide. This box has two slides, one at the 
tt)p, and the other in the center. The slides move in grooves. 
In the upper lid he arranges a piece of glass ; the lower compart- 
ment contains comb filled witli honey. Thus equipped, the hun- 
ter proceeds, late in autumn, to a district, which by previous 
observation, he has ascertained is frequented by the bees, in pur- 
suing their labors. 

Two modes are adopted by the hunter, to procure the bees, 
which he uses to discover the position of the hive. By tlie first, 
and this is the most common, when he detects a bee upon a flower, 
which is generally a wild plant,known to \he hunter as the Frost 
blow, that blooms late in October, he places the box beneath the 
insect with the upper lid drawn, and by a quick aixi dexterous 
movement thrusts it into the first compartment, and the lid being 
closed the bee is seen through the glass. The lower lid is tlien 
drawn and the gla^s darkened, when the bee immediately settles 
upon the honey and commences its feast. 

It is now left undisturbed, with botli lids open. After having 
supplied itself, the bee leaves the box, and, rising above it, 
seems to take a particular note of its locality, 11} ing around in 
circles, which grow wider at every gyration ; the bee con- 
stantly ascending, until at length it takes an air line for its 
hive. This crisis tests the skill and vigilance of the hunter. 
Tlie course of the bee is carefully watched and the distance 
of the hive is computed by the length of its absence. The 
hunter estimates this by allowing three mile? to the minute, 
for its flight and return. The bee is allowed to make the 
journey several times, when it is again secured and the hunter 
proceeds in tlie directionof the hive, as indicated by the course of 
the bee's flight. It seems to communicate its discovery to the 
hive ; as frequently on its return it is accompanied by others. 
The hunter often finds it necessary to catch and mark an Individuj] 
bee, so as to identify it in his operations. 



After advanciDg as I'ar as he deem? k expedient, liie hunter 
opens the box, a second time, and allows the bee to escape. It 
repeats the same reconnoisance as before, and then takes its line 
lor the hive. If this, as often occurs, has been passed, the fact 
is indicated, by the bee returning on the hunter's track. It fre- 
quently becomes necessary, when the position of the hive has 
been disguised, with more than usual adroitness and success, 
for the hunter to make several lines, in this manner, w^hen be 
determines the locality of the hive, by ascertaining the point, 
where the different lines intercept. A number of bees from 
the hive, are often in the box together, and occasionally those 
&om different hives, as appears from their making distinct lines, 
on rising from the box. 

The other mode pursued by the hunter is this. Upon a cleared 
spot in an elevated situation, he builds a lire and heats some fiat 
stones ; on these, some of the comb is b\irned ; the odor of the 
burning comb will attract the bee ; fresh comb, containing honey, 
is then placed on the stone, upon which the bee is allowed to feed. 
When it leaves, the comb is removed from the stone and the box 
substituted in the same place ; the bee, on its return, lights upon 
the honey in the box and is thus secured ; afterwards the hunter 
proceeds by the same process as before. 

The tree, which contains the hive, is then felled and the whoje 
fajnily of bees are exterminated, usually by burning straw. This 
ruthless work, the hunter considers necessary, as well to protect 
himself from their assaults, while securing the honey, as to pre- 
vent his being thrown on a false line, by wandering bees from the 
sfwoiie hive, who would bring him back to the already ravaged 
tree. This often happens. 

Bee hunting, my informant* remarks, in closing, " is a mc*t 
exciting sport, and when pursued by a skilful hunter, is also very 
profitable. I have known of over a ton of honey, having been 
procured in a single month by three persons, myself being one of 
the number, besides more than four hundred pounds of wax. 
This honey was sold in Boston for fifteen dollars the hundred 
weight, and the wax for twenty cents the pound.'' 

• Mr. Janse? M. Westct, OliesU.'fitlfi. 



''■Wt (iiscw-vtin-clirj tbis excursjoDfifiy-sevfeo hires, which yieided 
from ihiriy-L've lo oae hundred and fifty pounds of honey each, 
depending on iheir age and size.'' 

In the south- western seciioD C)f the town of Chestei field, 
and amidst a rude and mountainous tract of country, I am in- 
formed, an immense colony of t:»ees existed, consisting of nn- 
raerous hives. Their abodes were in the crevices and fissures 
of the rocks and inaccessible. The whole atmosphere in the vici- 
nity; it i* represented, was filled .vith the b-ees. Various attempts 
by excavation and blasting have been made, to reach the deposits 
of honey, but without success. Owing to these annoyances and 
oXhcT disturbance's, the t>ees became so exasperated and ferocious, 
and they wei-e so iV-rmidable from the infinitude of their number, 
iha! it was hazardous to approach thfir retreat. It i? supposed, 
that this renuarkable and most interesting colony, has been 
tiestroyed by the conllagration*, which in recent years have swept 
over that district. 

A singular fact in the nature and habit of the Itee is remarked 
by hunters. While they permit some persons to approach their 
habitations with perfect impunity, they evince towai*ds others the 
most detenrdner aLc! .in veteratf instinctive hostility. 



AliEBCULTUIlE. 



A new spring wheat was introduced into the northern sections 
of Essex county, in the year 1851, by Mr, Joshua Hoag of Ches- 
terfield, which promises the most tavorableand important results, 
and to give a new impulse to the culture of tliat grain. Mr. Hoag 
received it from Hoosick, Rensselaer Co. It is rapidly superceding 
even the Black seed wheat in the partiality of the farmer. It is 
known as the White bearded wheat. The berry is large, full and 
bright. The graincommands atour mills nearly the same price as 
winter wheat, and the flour it produces is scarcely distinguishable 
from the choicest Genesee. It remarkably resists the ravages of 
the insect and diseases wliich so generally aftect this grain. The 
last season, which was distinguished for its unexampled and des- 
tructive drougth, I cultivated this and the black sea wheat in the 
same field and upon contiguous ground ; the yield of both was light, 
but tlie product of the Bearded far exceeded that of the Black sea, 
and while the latter was so affected by the rust as to render the 
binding into sheafs impracticable, the former was uninjured, 
standing erect with the straw bright and untainted. Another pe- 
culiarity of this grain, is the remarkable facility with which it is 
thrashed. This circumstance, renders it liable to be shelled by 
the agitation of the wind, unless harvested before full maturity. 
The average yield of this wheat is ab«iut tidrty bushels in ordinary 
seasons . 

The prevalence of the r'.:?t in l)Oth oats and wheat, during the 
late excessiv^ely dry and hot season, is regarded by our farmers 
as a novel and r<?markable occurrence. 



NATURAL CURIOSITIES. 



In the descriptions of the natural curiosities of Essex county, 
embraced in the report, I omitted to notice two very singular and 
impressive subterranean passages, in the town of Schroon, near 
Paradox lake. The first of these, forms the channel of a small 
rivulet, by a natural perforation of some hundred feet through 
the massive rock, ten or fifteen feet below the surface, over which 
passes the public road, as if by an artificial bridge. 

The other, which I find referred to in early works, on the to- 
pography of this region, is a highly curious and remarkable exhi- 
bition. The explorer enters a lofty arch, several feet below the 
surface, carved out of the solid rock. It presents, at some points, 
the appearance of nearly an exact gothic structure, and at others, 
broken and ragged sides and canopy. This dark and gloomy 
cavern extends a number of rods, and is from four to twelve feet 
in width, and ten to fifteen in height. It constitutes the sluice 
way of a large stream, which propels a mill just above the en- 
trance, and foams and dashes through the rocky and precipitous 
descent. 

Trout are often found in pools, within this passage, which 
are formed by the obstructions to tlie stream in its course. 
Few scenes in the county exhibit a more remarkable and striking 
aspect. 



HISTORY. 



I was compelled, from the want of space, to withhold in the 
lormer report, some historical incidents of interest, in connection 
with the battle in the strait of Valcour, between Carlton and 
Arnold, which is indirectly associated with the annals of Essex 
county. 

A solitary house, and probably the only one in that region, 
stood, in the year 1776, upon the mainland, directly opposite the 
little cove in Valcour island, in which Arnold's fleet was moored. 
This house was occupied by a family of the name of Hay, who 
were in communication x\ith Arnold. It had been arranged be- 
tween them, that, if the inmates discovered the approach of the 
British fleet, they should announce it to Arnold, by displaying a 
sheet at a particular window. 

The advance of Carlton was perceived, and the signal given 
in conformity with the arrangement; but for some reason, Arnold 
could not, or did not take advantage of the information to escape, 
as they supposed he intended. 

A daughter of Mr. Hay, the venerable Mrs. Elmore, still sur- 
vives, and resides near the spot, who, at that time, was an infant 
in her mother's arms, and from whom I received many interesting 
particulars of that battle, and the early settlement of the country. 

The ruins of the cellar, yet indicate the position of the house, 
and the scene of the conflict. While it raged, Mrs. Hay, carry- 
ing her child, went to a spring near the lake shore, which was 
then shrouded by a dense wood. To her great amazement and 
terror, she found herself in the midst of a large body of Indians, 
decorated with their war paint and dresses, and armed with guns 



35 

and tomahawks. They were placed there in ambush, prepared to 
receive the American crews, if they attempted to escape by land- 
ing. The mother, agitated and alarmed, clasping the child to her 
breast, began to weep ; when an aged chief came to her side, and 
unable to communicate consolation or an assurance of protection 
in words, manifested his kind and protecting feelings, by gently 
and soothingly wiping her eyes with the flap of his shirt. 

The Hay family, subsequently for a period, sought a refuge and 
safety in Canada. Mrs. Elmore is the mother-in-law of the grand- 
son of William Gilliland, the pioneer of Essex county. 

The remains of one of Arnold's flotilla, which was sunk during 
the conflict in '76, are still visible at low water, when the lake is 
serene and unrufiied. Cannon balls and other munitions, have 
been recovered from this wreck. It lies adjacent to the cove and 
near a rocky islet, which, from the circumstance, is called " Ship 
island." 

A small island lying directly off the southern extremity of the 
Isle of Valcour, and near the boundary of Essex county, attracts 
observation by its peculiar formation and beautiful appearance. 
It rises from the lake in a sheer and rocky precipice, ten or fif- 
teen feet in height, presenting an impenetrable wall, except at 
one narrow point, which affords the only landing place. The 
soil is singularly fertile, and has evidently received high cultiva- 
tion. 

The tradition in the country represents this island to have been 
occupied originally by the officers of the French marine, upon 
the lake, and subsequently by those of England, as a flower and 
ornamental garden. This legend, the lovely aspect and secluded 
position of the island, its peculiar form and difficult accessibility, 
have combined to shed about it an air of romance and interest. 
A rich and beautiful lawn still mantles it, upon which may be 
traced the outlines of artificial beds and walks, that seem to cor- 
roborate this tradition. Its history has attached to it the name 
of" Garden island." 



APPENDIX. 



The following tables, derived from the census of 1850, appro- 
priately belong to the appendix of the original report, but could 
not be procured in season to be published with that volume. 

Births^ marriages, deaths, dwellings, and families, in Essex county, 
by the census of 1850. 

Population, 31,148 

Births in the year ending June 1st, 1850, 809 

Marriages, same year, 267 

Deaths, same year, 201 

Number of dwellings, 5,321 

Number of families, 5,535 

Colleges, academies, and schools. 

Number of public schools, 174 

Teachers " " 174 

Pupils " « 8,482 

Taxation, ', $10,344 

Public funds, 4,010 

Other sources, 3,252 

Total annual income, , $17,606 



37 

Academies and other schools : 

Number, 17 

Teachers, 18 

Pupils, 512 

Annual income, without any endowment or public fund, $1,219 

Attending school during the year, as returned by families : 

Males, 3,379 

Females, 3,502 

Free colored, .- 2 

Total, , 6,883 

Native, 6,473 

Foreign, i 410 

Total, 6,883 

Adults who cannot read or write. 

Whites— Males, 612 

Females, 533 

Total, 1,145 

Free colored — Males, 3 

Females, 1 

Total, 4 

Native, 785 

Foreign, 238 

Aggregate, 1 ,023 



Mo-riculturej farms and implements, stocky produce^ home manufac- 
tures, See. 

Acres of land in farms — Improved, 166,951 

Unimproved, 136,610 

Cash value of farms, $3,393,385 



38 

Value of farming implements and machinery, $182,446 

Horses, 4,365 

Asses and mules, 12 

Milch cows, 6,747 

Working oxen, 2,085 

Other cattle, 8,808 

Sheep, 50,206 

Swine, 5,796 

Value of live stock, |677,718 

Value of animals]slaughtered, $106,422 

Wheat, bushels, .'. 66,510 

Rye, " 18,463 

Indian corn, bushels, 120,425 

Oats, bushels, 189,924 

Wool, pounds, 184,489 

Peas and beans, bushels, 14,602 

Irish potatoes, " 307,549 

Barley, " 505 

Buckwheat, " 14,372 

Value of orchard products, $21 ,586 

Value of produce of market gardens, $2,937 

Butter, pounds, 428,139 

Cheese, " 112,961 

Hay, tons, 37,868 

Clover seed, bushels, 100 

Other grass seed, bushels, 197 

Flax, pounds, 285 

Flax seed, bushels, 2 

Maple-sugar, pounds, 60,554 

Molasses, gallons, 6 

Beeswax and honey, pounds, 20,039 

Value of home made manufactures, $5,396 

Libraries other than private. 

One public library, having 600 volumes ; 1 59 school libraries, 
having 14,413 volumes. 



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